Claire was a little surprised that Caleb hadn't been to the Alpha Site already. She had gotten the impression that it was used to ease some of the recruits in gently. That being said, Caleb was thrown into an offworld mission in his first week. The Alpha Site would be somewhat redundant after that. "You're not missing much there," she grinned. "Tents, trees, mountains... it's pretty enough, but not much going on. If you're wanting to visit, you can always volunteer to escort one of the weekly medical teams. I could probably ensure you're on one of my teams, if you like?"

She smiled as Caleb explained he went looking for adventure. "And did you find what you were looking for," she asked, her voice gentle, almost wistful. Sometimes, Claire felt that she could travel the world - and the galaxy now - but nothing would be able to match up to the adventures at home. Maybe it was just the way of it in New Zealand, but even the hardiest of adventurers came home eventually.

"Hey! I didn't check you out," laughed Claire, shaking her head. "Well, not like that, anyway." She twitched an eyebrow upwards. "Maybe I gave you too much morphine, and your memory's a bit munted, eh?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief again. "Or it could be wishful thinking on your part, I reckon." Claire hadn't "checked anyone out" in years, and it was going to stay that way.

Claire shook her head, her expression one of utter confusion. "See, I've never understood that," she said, ignoring the spear of pain that arced through her chest as she considered that that was exactly what Tama had done. He had screwed his way through half of the women in Auckland, one after the other, while they were together. At least Caleb wasn't in a relationship, so he could do as he pleased. "I kind of like to be able to talk to anyone I... sleep] with."

She wasn't about to admit to Caleb that she was the kind of woman whose relationships were always long term, the kind of woman who liked to get to know someone before embarking on anything with them. Well, that was how she used to be. Now... well, she'd rather stay away from men altogether. Friendships didn't count, though. She'd always had friendships with blokes, anyway. Caleb was just the latest bloke she felt she could develop a close friendship with.

Claire twitched her eyebrows upwards as Caleb mentioned his arse. "So... any injuries to your arse that I end up tending to are unlikely to be sustained in the course of duty. Got it." Her own eyes sparkled with mischief, and she shrugged. If Caleb was going to ramp up the cheekiness, she could return the favour, just as well.

She looked at Caleb for a few seconds, before smiling quietly. "So... sparring, followed by pub. How's that sound to you?" If Caleb was a beginner, he might well need the pub after. Not a bad start for a friendship, not really.

Claire laughed as she clocked the expression on Caleb's face as she explained that her brother in law was an ex-rugby player. "He's a protective kind of bloke, too," she remarked, her eyes dancing with amusement. "I know where my money would go!" Tane adored Hariata, worshipped the ground she walked on, and, just for a moment, Claire wished that she could have what her sister had. It wasn't going to happen, though, so she had to let it go.

Their laughter rang through the empty infirmary, and Claire found herself more relaxed than she had been in a long time, and certainly having more fun than she could remember having in... well, years. It felt good to open up to someone, start the process of getting to know one another with no pressures or expectations. Each knew where they stood with one another, and, with the line having been firmly drawn at friendship only, Claire felt safe to completely be herself. It was liberating.

"Johnson's Baby, or whichever brand you can get your hands on," she teased, her voice deceptively light and innocent. "Apparently, they make things 'as smooth as a baby's bottom'..." Dirty, ribald, and, under other circumstances, could be construed as a flirt. However, Claire knew that Caleb would take it as banter, which was exactly the way she wanted it.

"Three drinks? That'll do for starters," grinned Claire. However, she was a little intrigued as to what else Caleb had in mind. She twitched up an eyebrow. "Why? What else were you thinking of?"

"Sounds a bit like the majority of the countryside in England to be honest with you," he said, smiling at her, he was glad to know he wasn't missing much by not having gone to the Alpha site yet. Caleb did appreciate the offer that she made though, he didn't 'know' a lot of people and any teams he went out on he had to make an impression, introduce himself once more. Not that he minded, making a first impression was right up there with his normal working skills. "Thanks, well if you ever need a weapons specialist or someone to fix something I'll be there. Generally I get sent out to either fix something or make up the numbers on teams." Not that he didn't like that, it was just, he didn't get to go off world for his specialist skill set.

He smiled at the conversation over adventure, "Well I found the Navy, then found this place, never once looked back to be honest," he said. Which wasn't strictly true, there was one point he looked back on, one moment in his past that he wondered 'What If' on if he was feeling melancholy that day. But it wasn't something that he was quite willing to share with Claire, he didn't need her to know how damaged he was over a stupid amicable break up.

Caleb couldn't help laughing, "If I remember correctly you didn't give me enough Morphine, I mean I was in pain and bleeding all over you. Besides also if I remember rightly you did get a close up view of my chest." Of course that had everything to do with the fact that he had, had to be shirtless so she could stitch him up, so of course she had seen his chest. But, well he couldn't help the tease, it was enjoyable to tease Claire, and he wondered how far the ribbing of each other would go in the future.

The smile slipped slightly as Claire commented on his one night stands, and the lack of him talking, he frowned, he knew people didn't agree with the choice he made of satisfying himself. There had been women and some blokes who had called him out on it, but honestly it had nothing to do with them, it was his decision to keep doing what he was doing. He never cheated, never took advantage of anyone and everyone always left satisfied.

Caleb sat forward, leaning on the table that was sat between them, it was time to be honest or as honest as he could ever make himself, "Look if the whole me sleeping with people the way I do upsets or offends you or anything, I can leave? But honestly, I don't want to do the talking, the women I take home," he was sharing more than he had with anyone before at the moment and the words were probably a little bit more harsher than he had intended them to come across. But it was one wall he hadn't stepped out from behind in a very long time, "They know the deal, they know what I want and I know what they want, no one gets hurt."

He wasn't sure why he had told her so much, why he had shared something that just...well he just hadn't really explained to anyone. His words seemed to dry up on him after he had said that, part of him almost scared that Claire would tell him to leave, tell him to just take his sordid ways and leave the office. Caleb was so use to actually having people tell him no, telling him to leave, telling him it wasn't him it was them, that he wouldn't actually argue with Claire if she said that right now.

As the topic of conversation seemed to flow back into a happier one, the cool words drifted back to lighter notes, happier topics of conversation. A tone of voice that basically meant that was the Caleb Williams everyone had to see and hear.

"It sounds like if we did it the other way, there would be less sparring," he answered with a quick shrug, he was trying to be funny, maybe trying too hard after the serious conversation a moment ago. "Actually it sounds like a plan, of course you realise now we are going to have to make sure out time off lines up, this means...." he paused for a moment, trying to make a dramatic statement. "You will actually have to make a date with me." He winked at her at that, knowing that he meant it more as a friend type of date and nothing else.

He smiled and nodded his head as he said, "Maybe a few will be acquired on duty, the rest I guess I will have to tend them to myself?" The smile was back, the cheekiness in the right place and the flirting back to how it was.

Leaning back in his chair, he put a hand to his chest, "You mean to say Dr Te Atua you would actually bet against me! I am shocked, truly I am, who knew a Doctor would gamble!" He managed to keep a straight face for all of two minutes until he broke into his own laughter. It was nice to be able to sit and joke with someone, he hadn't had that for a long time now.

Caleb was really glad that he had actually finished his drink a few moments ago, that the empty cup was sat to one side of the table, because he was sure that the way the conversation was heading - firmly down the dirt track - he was sure he would have ended up either choking on it or it would have ended up spilling over the rim. Honestly he knew a lot of sailors, a lot of submariners could talk - for lack of a better word - trash with each other, trying to one up the bloke before, but the woman in front of him could make most of them blush.

Thankfully he was made of stronger stuff and although yes she had caught him off guard at first, he was prepared the second time around. Prepared enough in fact that he couldn't help replying, "Would you like to try that saying out? I mean you've already had your hands on me once, what's one more time?" he teased, hands going to the top of his trousers. It was all a joke, a complete joke, a call back to the first time they had met as well, there was no way he would be doing much more than stripping off his shirt for her and that was only in medical circumstances as well.

As the laughter died down, he took a breath before answering her other question, "Well I would have suggested a shift swap for whoever looses, but well I don't think the higher ups would let me near a scalpel to be honest." he had to think, he hadn't actually planned that far ahead really, the three drinks was about as far as he got. "How about you be my wingwoman for the night if you loose and I'll be your whatever if I loose?"

Claire grinned. "You're of the school of thought of 'seen one forest, seen them all, eh," she remarked, an amiable smile on her lips. "It's pretty enough, but no action. That's the way it should be, anyway, seeing it's out 'shit hits the fan' contingency." She was under no illusions that Caleb would actively volunteer to accompany one of the medical teams, given the qualifications he made to accepting her offer. "No need for a weapons specialist, or really much that needs fixing," she admitted. "But we don't usually get all that many military volunteering for escort duty. So... well, the offer's there, anyway." She wouldn't push the issue if he didn't want to go.

She chuckled as Caleb sidestepped the question about whether he had found what he was looking for. "Avoiding the question, huh," she said, her voice amused. "Remind me to ask you the same one when you're pissed, see what you say then!" She'd bet there was something deeper there, something he didn't want to talk about, at least not yet. It was good to know that the bloke in front of her had hidden depths.

"Christ, you tell some tall tales," Claire giggled. "I gave you just enough, thank you very much! And a view of your chest doesn't mean shit. I bet half the women in Colorado Springs have seen it!" Probably an exaggeration, but who knew? "If I want to see bare chests, I'll just go to the pool, get myself an eyeful." And, seeing as she had no desire to see half naked men, that was something she didn't bother doing either.

Caleb's voice and expression had taken on a coolness, as though he was warning her about slagging off his one night stand habit. She wasn't slagging it off, just commenting that she didn't understand it, and it wasn't her thing. Given that he was single, what Caleb did was up to him. Had he been in a relationship, though, Claire would have given him a serve and accepted his offer to up and leave.

"It doesn't offend or upset me," Claire said, her voice quiet and unwavering as she looked Caleb in the eye. "I just never understood the desire to jump from one person to another, that's all." She wasn't about to spill her guts about Tama, explain that she was cheated on - many, many times - by the man she was supposed to marry. Not now, anyway. It was too early in their burgeoning friendship to talk about that sort of thing.

"I'm not judging you, you know," she said, her tone plain and simple. "You're single, you can do what you want. Just... what drive you to do that?" Her tone was curious now, genuinely wanting to know why Caleb would choose to sleep around like he did. He was a good looking bloke, kind and funny, one of the good guys, and he could probably have his pick of women. She just wondered why he wouldn't choose to get to know someone better than just the one night.

Caleb's cool tone of voice didn't last long, and Claire smiled slightly as he cracked a lame joke. "A date, huh? Isn't that going against all your sensibilities?" Her voice rang with laughter, letting him know that she was taking the piss, nothing more. "I'm sure we can work something out for an evening when neither of us are on shift. It won't be too hard."

Claire laughed. "You can tend to all bruises on your arse yourself, e hoa," she grinned. "I'll make sure I keep a supply of arnica cream in just for you, though." Treating a soldier's bare arse was not on the list of things that Claire wanted to have to do on a regular basis.

"Damn straight I'd bet against you when it comes to Tane," she replied, her tone utterly certain. Her brother on law could take on all comers, especially when it came to protecting the honour of his wife. Claire was pleased that Hari had found someone like that. She deserved a good bloke, and he was definitely one of the good ones.

Claire's expression was one of pure amusement as Caleb challenged her to find out whether the baby wipes had worked to keep his skin smooth. "Go on then," she replied, her voice challenging, but her eyes dancing with amusement, even as her lips split into the broadest of grins. "Let's see what so many women find irresistible, shall we?" Of course, she was taking the piss, and she shook her head, raising her hands as Caleb's fingers went to the button on his trousers. "Christ, don't do that! Don't want any more rumours going around, do you?"

They both broke into laughter, and Claire arched an eyebrow as Caleb proposed something more than simply buying drinks. "Well, if you lose, you'd get an easy pass," she admitted. "I don't date, I don't go out on the pull. And me as your wingwoman? That's pretty strange. How will that help you find another willing volunteer to be your newest notch on the bedpost?"